Does it strike anyone odd that Jesus made wine for His first miracle? Perhaps the strangest part of the first miracle was that Jesus used bathing jars to hold the wine. Honestly, isn’t that a little gross? As crazy as this first miracle seemed, the strangest part to me was when he had them fill the huge jars full of water. He had his disciples fill the stone jars to the brim. Why didn’t Jesus just go over to the jars and pray a little prayer and make wine? He could have. There is a purpose for the water.

In Bible times, stone jars were used for purification rituals. Stone was believed to hold purity. These jars were often made of limestone, which was easy to carve. The water poured inside would thus be pure, “living water,” held in this cistern of sorts, for later use. The jars were useful, moldable, pure...but just attractive jars without the water being inside them. The water was the tool to be used. The water was the key element in the purification ceremonies. The water was the stuff of Heaven, being held in specially chosen earthen vessels. The water was the game changer.

We are the jars - chosen, moldable, ready to be used for the Kingdom, waiting for the Water that will flow and heal. But if we come before God without being filled, without lifting our hearts and empty vessels for a fresh filling of His Spirit, power, and direction, we are just attractive stone. We may clean up nicely and say, “Amen!” at the appropriate time, but we are hollow, cavernous, and cold inside without the stuff of Heaven sloshing out and into the world. The stone is nothing without the water.

If I may be honest, we live in a world of carbon copying. Everywhere you look and in all things, we are looking for the next cool look. We are waiting on the next mega church to write another hit song so we can share it in our church. We wear our hats certain ways, bend our brims in certain ways, roll up our pants legs, cut our hair, wear our jewelry and plan our church services in certain ways in hopes to have success. I’m guilty more than anyone else. It leaves me asking myself, “What am I depending on to radically love and change the world around me”. When I try to perform or create things to change the world without listening to God, I am making my own “boxed wine?”. Am I squeezing my own grapes and trying to manufacture my own power? Am I bypassing the living water and hoping the stellar stone will do the trick? A wine connoisseur can identify a fine wine a mile away. They can distinguish its aroma, its intensity, balance, and complexity of notes and flavors. Our hearts are the same way. When you have had choice wine, boxed wine is way less appealing.

Jesus was making a huge point. In John 4:14 He asked the Samaritan woman for a drink. He was building up to an eternal and epic moment with her. “With this living water, you will never thirst again.” I have tasted this water. I’m so glad I did. I, too, fill it to the brim and it bubbles over. If I fill my life with my talent, performance, hard work and grit, I offer the world box wine, devoid of Heaven’s flavor and intensity. If I fill my life with His Holy Spirit, the miracle happens. He allows choice wine to spill out of my dirty stone jar. This, and this alone, is what our world needs. People need much more of Him and much less of me. They need my worship flowing from my emptiness and His filling. They need all of us to go from water to wine, pungent and resplendent for His glory.

This is as refreshing as the 'wine' of the 'water'. The word of God with the Holy Spirit is all we need in these last days to stay effective in the ministry.
God bless you!

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CATHERYNE ELIZYETHORO TAN

7/26/2018 09:54:43 am

WITNESS: WEDDING BANQUET / SUPPER OF THE LAMB. 6 WATERPOTS 6 BEING THE NUMBER OF CREATED MAN; WATERPORTS HOLD WATER; WATER / FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS; TURNED INTO WINE; WINE / SPIRIT; WHEN THE 'WORD' GETS INTO US IS POURED OUT TO OTHERS IT BECOMES WINE!